Chapter 43: He Has Returned

Back at the hotel in the evening, Cao Yang first wrote out his work summary for the day.

What had been accomplished, what remained unfinished, whether the unfinished tasks would affect tomorrow's shooting schedule, and whether adjustments were needed—all these points had to be clearly sorted out.

Why do we often hear news online about film crews working overtime?

Actually, before a movie starts filming, the director and the line producer, taking into account the actors' schedules and various other factors, have already mapped out the daily shooting tasks. If they fail to meet the quota, they have to shoot overtime; otherwise, it causes massive trouble, going far beyond simply having to reschedule.

Take today's shoot, for instance. Because of Yu Feihong, several shots could not be completed.

Under normal circumstances, the crew would definitely be subjected to overtime shooting. Naturally, the staff would feel resentful, so Yu Feihong would instruct her assistant or manager to buy late-night snacks to treat the crew. That is the standard practice.

But the reality was that those few shots weren't finished, and they didn't shoot overtime either. So what now?

Should they push them to tomorrow? What about tomorrow's schedule? What about the actors who had been notified of precise check-in dates? Ask them to arrive later?

Or should they leave the unfinished shots for final pick-up shoots? What about the actor playing opposite Yu Feihong? Would they have to make another separate trip just to shoot these scheduled scenes later?

And what about the crew members? Some of them aren't hired on full-project contracts; they are paid by the day. Once they finish their work, they pack up and leave. When it's time for pick-up shots later, they might have already signed on with another film crew.

That is why you constantly hear stories of film crews working overtime.

Fortunately, Cao Yang's situation was somewhat better and easier to handle.

The crew members were either from the Beijing Film Studio—people within the official system who, unless they were seasoned slackers, wouldn't dare bare their teeth when the leadership told them to work a little overtime. Didn't they want to advance in their careers?

Or they were students from the Beijing Film Academy. These were interns, free beasts of burden, who actually wished they could stay with the crew for a few more days.

As for the other actors, whether they were newcomers, students, or guest stars, who could possibly have any objections?

The only minor trouble was Wu Qihua, the Hong Kong actor playing opposite Yu Feihong. Yu Feihong had already apologized, and he had simply smiled and said it was no big deal.

Besides, Cao Yang was no longer a nobody. In other people's eyes, he was an acclaimed director who had already won two Silver Bears. Among the little fishes and shrimps in this crew, as long as old Tian didn't take the lead in making a fuss, who would dare to object?

On this note, one simply has to mention two legendary, badass figures.

Wong Kar-wai from Hong Kong: with nothing more than a movie title and no script at all, he would dare to assemble a film crew, shooting whatever came to mind, and shooting landscapes when nothing came to mind. If he filmed something today and decided tomorrow that it wasn't good enough, he would scrap it and shoot it again.

Truck Driver Cameron: he would dare spend over a decade making a single film, driving the investors to bankruptcy.

Why did they dare to do such things? To put it bluntly, it was because of their reputation. Regardless of whether they were actors or crew members, everyone's market value would skyrocket afterward.

Most importantly, their movies could make money.

When all is said andومه done, it still comes down to profits. Why is it that people like Wong Kar-wai and Truck Driver, despite being so "terrible," never lack for investors?

It is driven by interests; there is profit to be made.

Having finished his work, Cao Yang decided right before going to sleep to apply yet another immersion experience boost to Yu Feihong.

Host: Cao Yang
Current Prestige: 412,564
Available Prestige: 212,564
Immersion Experience: +0
Filming Movie: 3-Iron
Lead Actor: Liu Ye
Lead Actress: Yu Feihong
...

His prestige was slightly higher than the previous few days, but the change wasn't significant.

Since he still had enough to exchange for two immersion experiences, Cao Yang simply cashed them both in. Anyway, this crappy system only had this one single ability, and keeping the points saved up served no real purpose.

Let's add one to Yu Feihong.

Big sister, unleash your super microcosm... Huh?

It didn't apply?

Why?

Let's try adding it again.

Then the +2 turned into +0.

What the hell? What's going on? What just happened? Why couldn't a single one be added, and when trying again, did it directly consume two?

Was a single immersion experience still not enough to deal with Yu Feihong, or did the second application require doubling the cost?

Such a piece of junk, it doesn't even come with a user manual.

With these two stacked on top, Fairy Feihong was now looking at a total of three immersion experiences. Would she be all right?

Cao Yang felt restless and anxious, yet he couldn't possibly go knock on Sister Feihong's door in the middle of the night, leaving him genuinely worried.

Yu Feihong felt as though she had returned to her childhood. Back then, her family was poor, living in Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories. Her father was an accountant at a small workshop, and her mother was seriously ill and unable to work. The entire family was crammed into a tiny apartment of less than thirty square meters.

Wait, why would my background be so miserable?

The moment this thought flashed through Yu Feihong's mind, it was suppressed, and she sank back into her memories.

She was considered somewhat fortunate. Because she was pretty, she was scouted by a talent agent on the street and cast in a movie, which instantly brought her a measure of fame.

Soon after, a scion of a wealthy, prominent family took a fancy to her and launched an intense pursuit.

That was a wealthy elite family! In Hong Kong, most actresses dreamed after achieving fame of marrying into such a dynasty.

Yu Feihong was no exception. Unable to resist the man's financial and romantic offensive, she fell completely.

Men are all the same: sweet talk before marriage, indifference afterward. If it were merely that, it wouldn't have been so bad.

The crucial point was that this rich second-generation heir didn't settle down after marriage. Not only did he carouse with fox-friends and dog-companions outside, but whenever he returned home and things didn't go his way, he would resort to domestic violence and abuse, with beatings becoming an everyday routine.

As time passed, Yu Feihong's spirit was pushed to the brink of collapse, her heart turning to ash.

Fortunately, he appeared.

He took her across the entire city, searching for temporarily uninhabited empty rooms, experiencing different lives, and rediscovering the beauty of living. Her heart began to pulse with vitality once more, and she felt as though she had come back to life.

One day, they entered an empty apartment and discovered that the resident was an elderly man who, tragically, had already passed away, with only a dog keeping vigil by his side.

They buried the old man and made phone calls to notify his children.

However, when the old man's children returned, they suspected that the two of them had murdered the old man and called the police.

The very thing Yu Feihong dreaded most happened. Although the old man's death had nothing to do with them, her abusive husband came to pick her up and, through bribery, had him sent to prison.

Yu Feihong's heart turned to ash once again.

Yet, thinking of him—thinking of his guidance, his encouragement, everything about him—she grew strong once more. She learned to fight back; she would no longer submit to her husband. She was a complete human being, not anyone's appendage or puppet.

Today was the happiest day of her life. He had returned, right here in this room.

She looked in the mirror, and Cao Yang's face appeared in the glass behind her.

...

Yu Feihong opened her eyes, feeling an indescribable joy welling up in her heart.

Compelled by an impulse she couldn't control, she got out of bed, walked barefoot to the mirror, stared fixedly at her reflection for a full minute, and then slowly reached out her hand to touch the empty air beside her.

For a moment, she found it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

"You're here, aren't you?"

Murmuring to herself, Yu Feihong then shook her head and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I must be losing my mind. Why is my head full of him?"

She then pulled a series of funny faces at the mirror, baring her teeth, and said fiercely: "Bah! You jerk, calling my acting bad and yelling at me every day."